1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to door frame structures, and in particular to reinforcing plates and banding systems utilized in the construction of lock strikes, door jam plates and framing forming part of a door frame.
2. Prior Art
It has long been recognized that a door mounted in a conventional door frame, even when dead bolted, offers little deterrence to a person who attempts to kick in the door to gain entrance to the building. Typically, external doors are mounted to the doorjamb by at least a pair of hinges and are provided with a latch and dead bolt lock that is extended into a recess provided in the jamb to secure the door in a closed position. The weakest region of a doorframe is the region where the bolt interacts with the doorjamb. The portion of the jamb that is provided for restraining the door bolt or latch generally measures only in fractions of inches and is commonly composed of wood. This material is easily splintered and broken through with only a moderate amount of force directed against the door adjacent the locking mechanism.
The solutions to this problem most relevant to this invention have involved the use of reinforcing plates placed at different positions around the door in the region of the lock or latch opening. Examples of such designs can be seen in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,673,605, 3,764,179, and 3,934,910; as well as Great Britain patent 2265664 (various U-shaped channels mounted to surround the latch opening and the door knob opening). However, such designs do nothing to solve the problem of the doorjamb being splintered when the door is kicked adjacent the door latch or lock. For this recent such door reinforcement plates have been augmented with reinforcing plates positioned on the doorjamb around the openings in the jamb for the latch or lock. U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,173 illustrates such a combination. Some of these reinforcing plates have been positioned on the exterior side of the doorjamb. Examples of such designs are illustrated in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,815,945, 4,171,837, 5,566,509, and 5,566,995; as well as Great Britain patent 2197677. Others have been positioned between the doorjamb and the support studs forming part of the wall. Examples of such designs are illustrated in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,057,275, 4,174,862, 5,241,790, 5,474,347, 5,5819,48, and 5,836,628. Still others have partially wrapped around the doorjamb. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,717,185, 4,854,621, and 4,858,384 are illustrative of such designs. Finally, other designs have utilized reinforcing plates attached to the side of the doorjamb. Example of such designs are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,074,484 and 5,344,198.
Despite this multitude of designs there remains a need for a simple reinforcing plate that effectively strengthens a conventional door frame against being splintered when the door is kicked around the latch or lock openings.
Other prior art solutions relate to strengthening the striker plate by providing a tubular extension that fits into the latch or lock openings in the doorjamb. Examples of such designs are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,586,361, 4,211,442, 4,865,370 and 4,872,717. U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,160 discloses a variation wherein the reinforcing plate positioned between the doorjamb and wall studs is provided with extensions partially surrounding the interior of the latch or lock openings in the doorjamb. Although such designs do provide additional reinforcement, they are not capable of forming part of a fully integrated system that provides for reinforcement for all sections of the door frame.
Although there are some prior art systems such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,299 that teach using a reinforcing plate wrapped partially around the doorjamb that can extend the height of the doorjamb, there are no reinforcement plates that are designed to the twisting forces incurred at the top and bottom corners of a door frame when a person attempts to kick in the door. Therefore there is a need for such a reinforcing system. In addition there is a need for a system that can be retrofitted to existing door frames.
Finally, other than for total metal doorjambs such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,9554 there exists a need for totally integrated reinforcement system that provides reinforcement to all sections of a door frame that is subject to break-in efforts.
Therefore, one object of this invention is to provide an improved strike capable of providing reinforcement against attempted forced entry through a doorway. Accordingly, an improved strike having a plate containing at least one opening sized to receive a lock, a latch, or both fixed to a door is provided comprising a first tubular body having a first end extending substantially perpendicular to one face of the plate and a second end opposite the first end, the tubular body being of a length sufficient to extend through an opening in the doorjamb and into the stud or structural member forming part of the wall into which the door frame is positioned, the second end being closed by an end plate, the end plate provided with an opening shaped to permit an attaching means, such as a nail, screw or other similar device, to extend into the structural member to fix the tubular body to the structural member. In a preferred embodiment the strike plate will be provided with two openings for both a latch and a lock.
Another object of this invention is to provide a reinforcing plate for strengthening the upper adjacent corners of the doorjamb. Accordingly, a reinforcing plate is provided comprising an elongated channel-shaped 90xc2x0 corner member shaped by one elongated flat panel bent in its middle section at approximately a 90xc2x0 angle with two substantially parallel sides extending along and outward from the opposite edges of the flat side, the flat panel having a width to permit said substantially parallel sides to be positioned adjacent the inner edge and the outer edge, respectively, when the flat panel is positioned adjacent the interior side. In a preferred embodiment, both parallel sides will be of sufficient width to provide reinforcement against twisting forces exerted against the interior and exterior edges of the doorjamb causing them to splinter or crack when the door is struck. In a more preferred embodiment the parallel sides will be a width approximating the width of the interior edge of the doorjamb. Still more preferred is that the reinforcing plate be constructed of 14 to 20 gauge sheet metal, most preferably 16 gauge sheet metal, or such similar structural material.
A further object is to provide a reinforcing plate for strengthening the lower adjacent corners of the door frame. Accordingly, a reinforcing shaped plate is provided comprising an elongated flat section positionable on the floor below the threshold and at 90xc2x0 thereto an elongated channel-shaped section whose width permits one of the vertical doorjambs to functionally fit in the channel.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a reinforcing system for strengthening a door frame. Accordingly, a reinforcing system is provided comprising two elongated channel-shaped 90xc2x0 corner members whose flat panel is positioned on the interior side of the doorjamb with its two side panels positioned adjacent the inner and outer edges of the doorjamb, respectively, at least one elongated channel-shaped member whose flat panel is positioned adjacent the interior side of the doorjamb opposite where the door hinges will be attached to the doorjamb, and a strike having a tubular body extending through the doorjamb and into the studs or supporting member forming part of the wall. In a preferred embodiment the tubular body will have a closed end extending into the studs or supporting member. This closed end will be provided with an opening through which an attaching means such as a screw can be extended to fix the tubular cylinder to the supporting structure. In a further preferred embodiment each of the members of the system are connected by elongated flat members sized to be positioned adjacent the interior side of the doorjamb. In a still further preferred embodiment one or more of the elements in the system are constructed from 14 to 20 gauge sheet metal.